Freedoom Phase 1 E3M5

[BeachThunder]

Hey, I recently started playing Freedoom and I was a little disappointed by the current E3M5 level...

So, I thought I would try my hand at making the level. I've spent the last couple of days putting it together and I think I'm pretty much done. But I'd really love to get some feedback. This is my second time making a proper level, so there's probably a whole bunch of issues that I'm not aware of.

 

I've tested the level via GZDoom and Crispy Doom. Everything seems to go smoothly via GZDoom, but Crispy Doom has an issue where the walls don't lower after collecting the yellow key. I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to fix it though.

 

Anyway, here's the current version of the level.

 

Some screenshots::

 

Previous versions:

 

Spoiler

Version 1.0:

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pxbRJqB-sQx00he32jyCubm7vibIC1gc

 

Version 1.1:

 

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by BeachThunder
update

[Jayextee]

Test it in Chocolate DOOM. If it doesn't work in that, it doesn't work.

[BeachThunder]

Okay, it now works in Crispy Doom and Chocolate Doom! It seems like the issue was that I had some enemies that were intersecting linedefs.

[BeachThunder]

A bit of an update.

 

I mainly worked on the aesthetics of the level - I've made it so it's more Hellish Horizonish now. I added a rotating fleshy thing, more lava, more red textures. Also, a bunch of little tweaks and fixes - sound propagation, enemy rearrangement, texture alignment, etc...

Crispy screenshot:

 

[cambreaKer]

looks pretty cool, haven't played this yet, but i have looked at the screenshots, i suggest adding some detail to the outdoor area pictured above, maybe add some height variation on the ground, and place more rocks.

Edited January 20, 2019 by cambreaKer

[BeachThunder]

New update! A lot of changes since the last time:

 

*Added more height to the final outdoor area.
*Changed a lot of textures around.
*A bunch of rebalancing - enemy positioning,more ammo and health in places that needed it, changes to difficulty settings, etc...
*The ambush room has been changed to better prevent players from running off.
*Made lighting a bit more dynamic.
*Neatened up some linedefs (especially reducing unnecessary details on the skull pile towards the end).
*Visplane and drawseg corrections.
*Better tells for secret areas.
*Added a crushing tentacle trap thingy.
*And a whole bunch of other miscellaneous changes...

 

I feel like this is probably ready to be incorporated into Freedoom now. Whatever the case, this is certainly better than the empty room with a switch that currently occupies E3M5.

 

Edit: ...and made a pull request!

Edited February 2, 2019 by BeachThunder
Pull request

[4everDoomed]

On 2/1/2019 at 6:22 PM, BeachThunder said:

New update! A lot of changes since the last time:

 

*Added more height to the final outdoor area.
*Changed a lot of textures around.
*A bunch of rebalancing - enemy positioning,more ammo and health in places that needed it, changes to difficulty settings, etc...
*The ambush room has been changed to better prevent players from running off.
*Made lighting a bit more dynamic.
*Neatened up some linedefs (especially reducing unnecessary details on the skull pile towards the end).
*Visplane and drawseg corrections.
*Better tells for secret areas.
*Added a crushing tentacle trap thingy.
*And a whole bunch of other miscellaneous changes...

 

I feel like this is probably ready to be incorporated into Freedoom now. Whatever the case, this is certainly better than the empty room with a switch that currently occupies E3M5.

 

Edit: ...and made a pull request!

 

 

Never heard of Freedoom before, so I had to check it out first. I played a couple of levels randomly and it's quite nice, but it wouldn't be my favourite game though. I definetely like the music, some tracks remind me of good old Sega Genesis days. 

 

Your map replacement fits nicely into the existing episode. The corridor between the blue key area and the big lava pit seemed a bit too dark though, either brighten it up a little or place some flickering candle effects or whatever deco there is for better orientation. I had to change my sector light settings to "Legacy" to see anything, most other modes are pitchblack XD. It's your second map?  Good... I've seen much worse than that in the wad archives. Besides, you can still improve and update it. 

 

I don't know how popular Freedoom is, it looks quite quiet down here. Maybe, with your efforts, other players get more interested again. 

 

[BeachThunder]

I very much enjoyed playing through the Freedoom levels. The quality is a bit uneven - especially in terms of the sprites. But as a whole, it's pretty good especially E3M5.

 

I did play around the with lighting in that area, but I settled on basically pitch black. I think it's fine when it's just a small area. Brightening it up just doesn't quite have the same atmosphere [also, there's a secret with some goggles somewhere in the map]. Having said that, I'll look into updating the level a bit more if/when the pull request is accepted. So, I might play around with some flickering lights and brightness levels or whatever at some point down the line.

 

Freedoom isn't dead, it's just pining for the fjords! Hopefully, if I get around to it, I'll try to make more contributions.

[Beezle]

On 2/8/2019 at 8:27 AM, BeachThunder said:

 

Freedoom isn't dead, it's just pining for the fjords! Hopefully, if I get around to it, I'll try to make more contributions.

Thanks BeachThunder! Just downloaded the latest Dev Build and was happy to see your E3M5 in there:)